The Stowaway
by Aya1321
Summary: Emma never though she was smart. But now she was just a plain idiot. When did she start to consider herself a complete idiot you ask? When she thought it would be a good idea to hop on board Red-Haired Shanks' ship and try to steal his treasure. Now she was stuck on a Yonko's ship but having the time of her life. This small town thief never imagined the adventures that awaited her.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is going to be following Emma in her travels with the Red-Haired Pirates. It is set in no particular time in the anime/manga and will probably never overlap in any way. This is just going to be some travels of basically whatever Shanks does when he's just on his own with his crew. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Stupid, Emma! Stupid!_ Emma scolded herself. She should have known this entire thing was an idiotic plan. Who in their right mind would try to sneak on a Yonko's ship? Emma! That's who. Emma, the lowly thief who got by on the handful of coins she would get by pickpocketing on a small island in neutral grounds. Nothing ever happened there so when the opportunity presented itself, how could she _not_ take it? By having some common sense for starters.

She had been following one of the wealthier men on the island when she noticed the flag flying high in the sky. She thought nothing much of it until she heard too much commotion in the tavern. That's when she saw her chance the strike. Sitting inside the bar was, hopefully, the entire Red-Haired crew. Emma abandoned her current mission for a much better one, the ship.

She only wanted to be there for a couple minutes, just to see what one of the emperors could have hidden away. What would have been a simple relic to them could have got her by for months, if not _years._ She figured anything valuable would be hidden below deck and quickly made her way down until she found the storage.

"Bingo!" She grinned. Crates of gold and treasures awaited her, but before she could finish her celebration her most dreaded fear happened. Footsteps and the commotion from the tavern sounded from above, meaning only one thing. _Crap._

She knew there was no way off with everyone now on board so she found the best hiding spot she could while praying to every god she could think of that they would stay in port for one more day.

 _Splash._

 _Crap._

No sooner did she wish for it that the exact opposite happened. The ship groaned before lurching forward to its next adventure.

This was it. She was going to die.

She stood no chance against an average pirate, but this, this was a _Yonko._ But not just any Yonko, Red-Haired Shanks. One of the most feared Yonko if not for the simple reason that many knew next to nothing of what he was truly capable of other than the fact that he had _the strongest_ Haki among pirates and people anywhere.

 _Double crap._

She would be found out instantly if he decided to search the ship for stowaways with his Haki.

Emma supposed it could have been worse. No, she _knew,_ that this was actually a much preferred option to most. Shanks, despite his ranking and all around power, was one of the few pirate crews who didn't leave death and destruction in their wake. Maybe if she just revealed herself now they would turn around and drop her off without a second thought.

"Marines!" Came a voice from above.

Never mind.

"Boss, wha'd'we do?" These ships had no privacy apparently. The main deck was very easy to hear from where Emma hid.

"Let's just get away. I don't want to fight so close to an innocent island. If they follow us out to sea then we'll see from there."

Even if Emma didn't already know who was speaking the voice would have been unmistakable. It was happy and cheerful while having an underlying tone of power and strength that he couldn't quiet mask. It was odd.

"Let's move!" The unidentified voice yelled, startling Emma with the suddenness. The ship sped up and Emma decided to just stay below deck for a bit until everything passed.

What seemed like hours of gun shots, sword clashing, and order shouting later everything seems to calm.

"Didn't expect them to actually follow us out here."

"Marines aren't exactly known for their smarts."

"They didn't even have anyone strong enough for the simplest of the crew."

"The worst injuries would only be a bruise or two for anyone."

Many different statements sounded before everyone simultaneously started to laugh. There was one distinct voice missing from all of it though . . .

"So how long were you planning on staying down here?"

 _Infinite crap._

Emma turned around slowly to see the one armed redhead staring directly at her. Shanks, much to her relief, didn't look upset at finding her, but he did have an uncharacteristically neutral expression which was just as terrifying.

"I-I don't . . . didn't mean . . . uh, h-hi!" Emma internally face-palmed. More like internally punched herself. With a frying pan. As if sensing that his darker demeanor had terrified the woman in front of him the mood instantly lightning when he lifted his face from the shadows and smiled a huge, goofy grin before laughing like a maniac.

"Uh . . . haha? Ha? Heh." She didn't know whether to be terrified, confused, or concerned.

"So," he wiped his eyes. "What's your name?" How could someone be so calm after fighting a marine ship and then finding someone hiding with their treasure? She obviously didn't question this aloud however and gave an answer.

"E-Emma," she paused to steel her shaking voice. "Emma Starshard."

The light mood was replaced by a more serious, but not quiet threatening one. It was frightening how easily he could change the way someone felt by a simple change of voice or a small tweak in his expression. "So, Emma, who are you and why are you on my ship?"

"I, um . . ." She couldn't tell him the truth! They'd probably throw her overboard! "I was just . . ."

"Trying to steal my treasure?" He finished with no question.

"I was just wondering-"

"I'd clap for you if I could," he gave an awkward shrug.

"W-What?" Emma stuttered in surprise.

"Not many people would be brave enough to sneak on a pirate ship, especially a pirate ship of our caliber. So I applaud your bravery. I'd also be careful if I were you; most pirates aren't as lenient when it comes to stuff like this and would have killed you on sight."

Emma nodded. "So are you going to just drop me off then? I'd much prefer that over being thrown overboard." He grinned at her last statement. "I'd give you the lifeboat but the marines got a lucky shot in and managed to damage it. So since you aren't up for the swim you're stuck with us."

"What!? Why can't you take me back?"

"They know we're in the area, your island is probably crawling with marines now. If we took you back we could risk damage to any places near the coast and cause unnecessary fighting."

"But couldn't you just knock them all out? Just show up and _wham_ they're all out."

Shanks looked slightly surprised before answering: "and leave the ships without someone to steer it? They'd all crash and it'd be just as bad."

"So? That's what pirates do!" Shanks didn't seem to like that comment. Emma had momentarily for exactly who she was talking to.

" _Don't_ compare my crew to the likes of those pirates, _ever._ Got it?" Emma nodded wildly, "s-s-sorry, I didn't-didn't really mean t-to."

"Great!" He smiled once again. "So then if you're gonna be here for a while you might as well meet the rest of the crew."

She swallowed, "r-right."

He wrapped his arm around her for a second to lead her to the stairs causing Emma to realize how much taller he was than her. Even so, she was no longer as terrified of being near the Yonko or of the notion of meeting his crew since the captain had seemingly accepted her. As they both showed up on deck many eyes landed on her. Most were neutral or surprised but she did catch the eyes of one crew member she now knew to be wary of for his glance was anything but friendly. "Everyone, this is Emma. As most of you have probably already guessed I found her below deck and she's now stuck with us for a while. You all know how I feel about women so if she wants space, give her space, or you'll have to deal with me." It was said with a smile and a cheerful tone but the underlying message was clear to all. Emma also noticed how his eyes focused on the same man she noticed earlier. _Apparently Shanks saw him too._

The crew turned back to work when Shanks turned back. Emma's stomach conveniently gave a loud grumble reminding her how long ago her last meal was. Shanks turned back to face her. "Same hall, turn right instead of left. I have some stuff I need to do but I'll be down for food soon." He then left to the top deck where an older looking man with a cigar and a guy who was three times her height in width with meat in his hand was waiting. _Benn Beckman and Lucky Roo._

Emma glanced back to see nearly everyone paying her no mind as she went down to get some food. She'd be crazy to deny the offer of free food after all. As the hall opened into a large room many new eyes landed on her. They looked confused and suspicious. Emma was about to answer before a voice behind her beat her to it. "Captain said she's sticking 'round a while so give her the space she wants. You all know how he gets over stuff like this." The room seems to collectively shiver causing Emma to become curious. She was happy to see it was not the man eying her down up deck but instead someone she guessed was Yassop judging by the bandana across his forehead.

"Uh, thanks."

"No problem!" The man followed her as she got food and then sat uncomfortably close at an empty table. Hoping she might have just read the entire situation wrong, Emma tried to strike up a conversation. "What had the captain done to make everyone freak out over 'you know how he gets over stuff like this' anyway?"

Yassop grinned. "He may seem like the happiest, nicest man you'll ever meet, but if you get on his bad side you might as well start digging your own grave. He's an odd man, that's for sure. You could smash a table on his head and he'd just laugh but the second he catches a man touching a woman he doesn't even know he turns into the terrifying version of himself. Most of us guess he probably had an abusive father, but he won't talk about it. I mean he's the man who causes devastating storms by just having a hangover, so could you imagine if he was actually mad? Whew, not a pretty sight. You shouldn't have to worry about anything though. I'm Yassop by the way, the best sniper you'll ever meet!"

Emma laughed, knowing now that the man was just trying to be friendly. "I figured," she nodded towards the band on his head.

"Ha, right. Just wanted to say that you could talk to me, Lucky Roo, or Benn any time. We're some of the oldest crew members and Shanks trusts us with everything, so don't be wary. We all agree with Shanks' beliefs and will just as soon beat the urge right out of someone, so you're good with any of us four. Most of the men you can trust on this ship as well. Cap'n is a good judge of character, but there are a few people we'll keep an eye on. We picked up a stranded crew not even a week ago and he decided to keep 'em until he finds a good island to get rid of 'em. Of course he hasn't told them he was planning on that. If they even touch you though he'll be on them like"-he snapped-"that."

"Okay, thank you. Not gonna lie but I was kind of scared up until now but you've made me feel better."

"Ha! You know it. Well I've gotta go, see you!"

Emma no longer felt that she was in constant danger on a ship full of some of the most powerful people in the world. She actually felt safe knowing that anyone on this ship was capable of keeping her alive.

She didn't realize how long she had been sitting there until she saw the room was full of completely different people. She quickly focused on her plate so she could finish and leave. Suddenly the seats on either side of her, diagonal, and in front of her were filled. _Knew it._

"Hey Darlin'." The one on her left drawled. She gave the most oblivious smile she could to the five men. "Hi!" The same man put a bulky, smelly arm around her shoulders. She tried to hide the grimace. She didn't want anyone to get hurt other than these five and she wasn't sure if everyone would be unscathed if they all fought like it was now. So she kept up her innocent act. "You don't mind, right?" He smiled.

"Of course not!" The others chuckled, playing into her oblivious act. As if. It was so obvious what they were wanting.

"You guys must be pretty strong to be on this ship, huh?"

"Well of course Darlin'. We're strong enough to be some of the top ranks if we had been here earlier," he boasted.

"Really? Wow! That's impressive considering this is a Yonko ship." Maybe if she dropped a hint that the captain was a billion times more powerful than all of them combined they would back off. "I mean the captain is one of the most feared people in the world and his crew isn't lacking either." They narrowed their eyes. Maybe it looked like she was trying to provoke them. "Obviously," he responded. His hand that hand been wandering for a while now quickly landed on the bare skin directly below her shorts. "Mhmm . . ." Suddenly the hand shot under her shorts as deep as he could reach. Emma shot up before she even realized what she was doing and slapped him as hard as she could.

"Bitch!" He stood up, an arm swinging down to deliver a blow and Emma was still too shocked to react. Suddenly there was a resounding _crack_ as an impossibly strong hand wrapped itself against the violent one and shattered the bones with a simple squeeze. A dark and angry aura filled the large room and the boat started to rock madly as if the winds had suddenly picked up. Emma opened her eyes to see very red hair and a single arm raised to grip the one that was planning on delivering the blow.

"You know," Emma's stomach dropped instantly. This wasn't the cheerful innocent voice of the happy Shanks. It wasn't even the voice he had used when he first found her. No, this was something completely different. It was dark, deep, and dangerous. Even though it was barely a whisper the words seemed to bounce off the wall with so much power she thought her head would explode. "I expected this from you five. Not quiet this soon however." He released the man's arm. It was a complete mess. The skin was clumped and bones were sticking through the skin or just completely obvious and the entire thing was dripping a massive amount of blood. _Oh my God._ Looking around, Emma saw that any of the men who were sitting near the scene had backed off, leaving the group surrounded by empty tables.

"I _really_ did not want to deal with this." Emma was uncontrollably shaking even though the anger wasn't directed towards her. Shanks turned to face the girl, but instead of an angry expression he was _smiling._

"Sorry, Emma." It was a kind voice that sounded nothing of what it did merely seconds ago. "Should've known." He turned back to face the man now cowering in front of him.

"Well?" _Boom._ There is was again. How he could change his voice like that, Emma didn't know.

"I-I-I'm sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! Please I-I didn't-"

"Didn't _what?_ You know every bit of what you did was completely wrong and not to mention against my _direct orders."_ Was second hand terror a thing? It must have been considering the way Emma felt even though she knew Shanks wasn't angry at all with her. Judging by the faces of everyone else around she wasn't the only one.

"I-I'm so-o-o-orry," the man had collapsed on the ground completely sobbing at the feet of the Yonko. "Please . . ."

Suddenly the man was sent flying across the room and hit the stairs to the top deck. Shanks had grabbed him by the throat and _threw_ him. "Shut up." Shanks was suddenly gone and appeared at the man crumpled on the floor. He shoved them up onto the top deck and Emma, being one of the first to regain her senses, followed quickly behind.

She was baffled at the skies appearing compared to not even an hour ago. What had been a clear calm sky was now filled with angry gray clouds that were striking with lightning and large drops of rain. Not to mention the wind that seems it would pick her up and blow her away at any second. Before that actually happened a strong arm wrapped around her and let her to the very top deck. She looked up to see Benn Beckman holding her in place. "Best to stay back when he's like this," he stated calmly.

Emma could no longer hear what was being said but the man's increasingly terrified face spoke volumes. Before long he was thrown against the railing of the ship and a sword placed at his throat. Shanks walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. The man froze in what could only be pure, unadulterated fear. She swore she saw his pants soak suddenly that wasn't because of the rain before his feet were kicked out from under him and he was thrown overboard.

Shanks turned to face the other men who had cautiously climbed up afterwards. Good thing Emma had learned to read lips. "I advise the rest of you to stay out of my sight until we land on the next island or the same thing will happened with you, _understand?"_ The nodded ferociously before climbing over themselves to get back below deck. The storm slowly but surely dissipated and the seas calmed.

"Wow," said Yassop as he climbed the stairs to meet the pair. "Haven't seen him _this_ upset in a while. I felt it from the other side of the boat. He normally has such amazing control over his aura so it surprised me."

"I'm just glad he didn't accidently knock out the entire crew," said a new voice. Lucky Roo. "Especially with this weather."

"What-How are you all so calm!?" Emma suddenly burst. They looked at her as if she was crazy. Benn answered, "us three have been with him for ages, we all know what he is capable of. This is nothing. All of that was just the sliver he couldn't get under control through his anger."

"But you didn't even _try_ to stop him! He probably just killed that man!"

"Stop _him?_ Like _that?_ You're hilarious," Yassop laughed.

"He isn't a Yonko for anything. Sure, a powerful crew is also a huge part of it, but _he's_ the one with the Yonko title, not any of us. He's still much more powerful. That is not a man you want angry at you. He's simultaneously the happiest and scariest person you'll ever meet. Don't worry though, this is a rare occasion. He has extreme control over his emotions until someone hurts someone he cares even the slightest about," Benn explained.

"He's not a bad guy. I'm sure you know that by now. He'll be back to his normal self tomorrow and we'll all forget about this," Lucky Roo concluded.

"So now what then? He hasn't given any orders has he?" Emma asked.

"Nope."

"So where are we going?"

"To the nearest island the drop the rest of those bastards off. I was thinking of dropping down there and helping him throw the guy off too."

"We all were, trust me."

"He did seem to overreact some though," Lucky Roo added.

"He had to of on purpose. Proved his point nicely," Benn answered.

"Yea! He's normally way more careful with his Haki when we're on the water so we don't end up capsizing. I guess it was about time for one of these anyways," Yassop agreed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Cap'n's just a calm guy all the time so the newer crew members start to underestimate him and such. They start to disrespect him and when they realize that they can get away with it they take advantage. So every once in a while something will happen that he takes advantage of to show he isn't someone to be messed with. Was actually Benn's idea years ago."

"I still laugh about it," Benn grinned. "I don't think I will ever actually understand that man." He looked at the sky that was now free of clouds. "It's late. Emma, you should go to sleep."

"Er, where's she gonna sleep? We don't have an area for . . ."

"Oh. Right."

* * *

 **Well here it is! This definitely wasn't what I was expecting when I first started but I feel okay with how it ended up. I should also explain a few things regarding Shanks' abilities. I'm adding in his time manipulating and the Red Haki from the game just so I have something to fill in during extreme battles. Also the weather thing. When Mihawk found him to show him Luffy's bounty Shanks was in a mood and it was all dark and gloomy. But when Mihawk showed the bounty Shanks instantly cheered up and the skies cleared, so I was like why not! I hope you all enjoyed and I'll hopefully see you all soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**HERE'S MEEE. I'm back, even though I never really left but eh. I didn't use a lot of cursing in the first chapter so anyone who doesn't enjoy that could get a feel for the story and know if they wanted to continue. This one will have a little bit more cursing, but nothing extreme. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

After a very odd and complicated night, Emma woke to the sounds of grumpy morning pirates. She got up, nearly tripping before remembering she was wearing one of the pirate's clothes. Benn didn't tell her who's they were. She thought about changing back but that plan was soon scratched when she saw her still-wet outfit.

 _I look so stupid and tiny! Who am I kidding? I am stupid and tiny._

Getting over the clothes she went out to try to find someone. No sooner did she open the door did she hear familiar laughing from behind her. "You-you look . . ." Shanks gasped for breath. Emma stuck out her touch childishly, which the redhead quickly returned possibly when an even more childish expression.

"Shut up! It's not like I packed for a trip!"

"But we have clothes more your size, why'd you take mine?" He laughed again.

"Wha-yours!? You have an evil first mate!" How could Benn tell her this was all they had? Evil man! Shanks gave her a smile. "Benn is secretly a genius prankster, that's nothing compared to some of the stuff he's done. He may seem like the only one with some sense but don't be fooled! I'll grab you something, just stay here." Benn showed up soon after Shanks left. "I was hoping you'd walk on deck before someone caught you," he gave a mischievous grin.

"To think I thought you actually were the serious one!"

"I don't think there is a single person on this ship who doesn't have some kind of thing they do."

"I almost walked on deck like this! I would have looked so dumb!"

"That's the point."

Emma glared. Benn grinned, holding his cigar between his teeth. "Here, Emma. These should fit better. Thanks for that early morning laugh Benn, I needed that."

"My pleasure, Captain." Emma stuck her tongue out again before going back into the room to change. She heard Benn and Shanks talk about today's plans before a single pair of steps left. The clothes weren't very pretty, but they did fit perfectly. She walked back out to see Shanks learning against the wall, waiting. "Thanks for the clothes, they're a great fit. I heard you and Benn talking about a 'new island' as you said it. What does that mean?"

"We're a pirate crew of a substantial rank, you know that. So despite the fact that we never intentionally cause harm to innocent islands they're still scared to have us anywhere near them. We need another drop-off island for our stuff. That's what we were doing at your island before we caught wind of Marines and had to head out. We had made peace with the leaders of your island so we didn't need to hide, but when we go to a new island we hide the boat and a small group normally goes out. It's normally me and Yassop since he's the only one out of the three that isn't a giant."

"Makes sense. Can I come?" Emma asked suddenly.

"What, why?"

"I don't have clothes, and I really don't want you coming back with pants like those and expect me to wear it," she said while pointing to his current outfit.

"Oi! There is nothing wrong with this! Besides we don't have a boat, you'd have to swim a good ways so we don't risk being spotted. We don't know if they have homes on the outskirts of the island so we can't even get close. Can you swim?" Translation: Do you have a Devil Fruit?

"I can swim, and considering you have only one arm I feel like I should be able to keep up."

He grinned at her, "if you say so. We're leaving soon though so I hope you're ready."

"You're going to go like _that?_ Don't you know how obvious it is?" Shanks didn't even have a hat on, letting his blindingly red hair out for all to see.

"I can't swim with a hat, so I have no choice. I'll just keep my head down and wear my cape so no one can tell I'm missing an arm, also keep my hair over the scars," he shrugged. "I'll probably be caught but I need that to happen so I can explain to the mayor of this island. Much better being caught just being here than to make a scene."

"If you say so. If we end up getting mobbed I'm blaming it on you," Emma warned while poking his chest.

"Sure thing!" He caught her wrist and spun her to face the door to the outside. "Let's go!" They walked outside and as far as Emma could see there was nothing but ocean. _How far are we actually swimming?_

"Cap'n!" Came the familiar voice of Yasopp from above. The pair looked up to see the blonde climbing down. "Island's out there. We're getting into the average telescope range so we should hurry up." Yasopp didn't seem to have anything other than a sealed bag in his hand. _How could he see anything?_

"Okay then. Emma, you ready?" Shanks had a devious expression that Emma was wary about.

"Why is she going?" Yasopp wondered.

"She needs clothes and doesn't agree with our fashion sense," Shanks answered. Yasopp scoffed. "Clearly she understands nothing!"

"Ha. Totally. You were wearing your name across your forehead yesterday! I'm almost 100 percent sure the only reason you aren't right now is because you need to stay low, right?"

"No!"

"No?"

Yasopp gave in. "Whatever! Let's just go."

Shanks, and any other crew member close enough to hear the conversation were on the verge of tears from laughing. When everyone calmed the three finally decided it was time to start their swim. One by one they all jumped from the lowest deck when suddenly: " _COLD!"_ Before Shanks even knew what she was doing she had curled around his shoulders to stay as far above the water as she could.

"Emma! I am not going to _swim_ with you on top of me like this!" Yasopp was having the time of his life watching the events fold out in front of his eyes. Emma took advantage of him only having one arm by wrapping the arm he would peel off back around him when he went for the other. He sighed. Yasopp laughed. "Not moving!" Emma stated.

"Oh really?" Shanks gave the same mischievous smile from earlier. Emma narrowed her eyes before giving a cautious yes. "Ok then." Suddenly her support vanished into the water and forcing half of her to sink in behind it. Just when she thought at least her top half would be safe she felt a hand grip her ankle tight enough to ensure she wasn't escaping before yanking her completely under. "No!-" Was all she was able to manage before the rest became a gargled mess. When she finally swam back up to the surface she saw an innocently smiling Yonko with a still-laughing-his-ass-off sniper staring at her.

"It's easier to get used to water after you've dunked your head under," Shanks said as if he didn't force her under.

"I was mentally preparing myself."

"Looks like you weren't fast enough. C'mon, we need to get going before we're spotted anyways," Shanks said before swimming off at a surprising speed. It seemed to take ages to reach the island and Emma was nearly exhausted having not expected a man missing an arm to be so good at swimming. _Should've known!_

They walked up on a beach that seemed to be blocked out by a forest but Emma could make out a few buildings not far away. "Phew! Didn't get wet," Yasopp had pulled out a gun from the bag he had earlier and spun it on his finger. She heard a metal on metal sound to see Shanks had somehow hidden his sword and it was now unsheathed as he dumped the water out of its sheath.

"You guys just take out your weapons like that! What if someone sees?" Emma frantically looked around.

"We used Observation Haki before we did anything, no one is around," Yasopp explained.

Oh, right. She forgot about that. "Is there a way to mask your presence though?" She asked curiously. Yasopp looked to Shanks who was the Haki expert. "Really depends on who's using the observation and who's trying to hide. If someone who was extremely in tune when their Haki were to shroud them selves in, mental armament haki I supposed is what you'd called it, they could hide from observation Haki from someone not as in tune. But really the person with the stronger Haki would always come out on top in something like that, so no one's out there," Shanks assured at the end of his explanation.

"Well there you have it. If Shanks didn't see anyone then no one is out there," Yasopp finished with a shrug. Emma had actually forgotten this was the man many believed to have the most powerful Haki because of his lack of a Devil Fruit while still managing to be among the emperors. How had she gotten so comfortable with a pirate like this so quickly? She supposed it was because they both had a very childish personality despite their age and the fact that Shanks didn't go around terrifying his crew into submission.

"We should probably dry off before we go anywhere," Shanks said while hiding his sword back into his cloak. So they sat on the rocks and talked until they were dry enough to walk around in town. They stood, Yasopp stuffed his gun away while Shanks readjusted his sword and swiped his bangs over his scarred eye. "This island has a lot of fishermen so there should be plenty of good rowboats around. Yasopp I'm going to stay with Emma so I trust you to find something that will work," Shanks told the sniper.

"Right. You two have fun~" The blonde joked before turning and running as fast as he could when Shanks gave a playful glare.

"Okay let's go!" Emma said while dragging the other man by his arm. When he didn't budge she looked questionably back so see him staring off and focused on something she couldn't see. Emma immediately worried something was wrong but when she voiced this worry he just smiled and said nothing was wrong. "Let's go then! This is the first time I've been to a different island! I want to see stuff!" This time the one armed man followed behind her without question as they waded through the tall grass of the forest. Emma was still caution but she figured if it was something really bad then Shanks wouldn't have kept going.

"There!" Emma said after walking for nearly five minutes trying to find the right shop. Shanks had been walking with his head down the entire time forcing Emma with the responsibility of finding the shop. She immediately knew this was a good store from the first glance inside. Emma dug through clothes for a while until she was content with the outfits and went to try some on.

"Ugh, idk. It looks a little baggy," she said while standing in front of the mirror.

"You've said that about the last five outfits. I wasn't expecting you to take this long!"

"Fine! I just want to try on one last one and then we can go find Yasopp." Emma walked back into the changing room and was in the process of shutting the door when it was suddenly forced open and then quickly shut by the captain. "Hey! Get out-" the rest was muffled by a hand placed over her mouth.

"Was that-" she heard a voice outside say.

"Maybe," said another.

"Damn," Shanks whispered.

"What's wrong?" Emma whispered just as quietly.

"Oi! You in there! Come out now!" The first voice from outside ordered.

"Emma. They are two Marine Admirals, new ones, probably itching for a fight to prove themselves. They'll will recognize me as soon as I open the door so we will have to run, I don't want to fight them here. They are-"

"I'm not going to ask again! _Now!"_

"They are right at the door so I can hit them with it. Ready?"

 _No!_ Emma nodded, slightly scared something _really_ bad was about to happen. Shanks forcefully and quickly opened the door buying them precious seconds. Emma ran like her life depended on it. Maybe it did. " _Red-Hair!"_ An enraged voice came from behind as they ran through the door to the outside. Everyone outside stared at the pair running down the town like maniacs. Emma once again cursed her short stature causing her to have a harder time keeping up with Shanks' longer steps. Suddenly an arm encircled her and yanked her to the side just in time to miss a huge black mass that flew by. "What the hell? Another Admiral!" Shanks yelled and unsheathed his sword. The two that had been chasing them caught up while another, nearly ten feet tall, blocked the way back to the ocean. Connected buildings blocked their only other exits. They were surrounded. Bystanders were standing a good distance away as they watched the scene go down.

"Marines are supposed to protect from the destruction of pirates. But here you are fighting a battle you know will cause the destruction of not only all three of you, but also half of this town," Shanks said darkly.

"Well too bad you're wrong about that," the lone marine said. "You see that girl? She's the reason we're going to win this," he smirked. Now Emma was worried. Shanks only had one arm meaning he wasn't going to be able to keep a hold of her and fight. She was going to have to rely on herself to dodge some stuff. _Great._

"If you so much as touch her I will personally assure your deaths here and now. _That's a promise."_ He was using the voice again and despite the Admiral's tough act Emma could tell it bothered him. "Leave now and you get to live another day. Fight me, you might as well dig your graves now. I'll only show mercy to an extent, and once you try to kill me, that's when I stop. So think wisely." Emma shivered.

"Don't think that scares me. You're outnumbered."

"And you're outmatched."

Then everything went to Hell. Flames erupted from the ground as one of the two marines in the back ran for the attack, now also holding a sword. Emma ducked under the clashed swords of the marine and Shanks before leaping over the fire. The other marine that had chased them, she realized, was the one with the fire. As he waved his arms around flames flew from all directions and also exploded throughout the area Shanks and the marine were fighting. Somehow the Yonko still managed to dodge every single attempt at being set aflame _and_ the extremely fast slashing of the enemy's sword. "I was hoping for a little more entertainment than this. Is this all it takes to be an Admiral these days? Pathetic." Suddenly the area was shrouded in black and then was clear again. "Oh? That's different. Afraid it won't help you however. Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't sense you."

The pirate suddenly went on the offensive. With speed Emma couldn't even keep up with he was suddenly right at the marine with the fire fruit and sliced his head out in one swing. All flames suddenly were snuffed instantly as his body fell to the dirt. He then suddenly leaped for the other swordsman who was trying to block the flurry of attacks in a sloppy, panicked way. His blocks were basically useless as he seemed to get slashed by every swings. Shanks hopped back and stood for a second as everyone stared at the marine. He felt to his knees in slow motion as he exploded in his own blood and felt apart in a sloppy mess. Emma nearly puked as a line of blood streaked itself across her face. "C'mon. Hopefully you will give me something, Big Guy. Your friends were no fun."

"I'll give you something, alright," he said much too close and a sudden hand wrapped around Emma's throat. Without warning a barrage of red bolts struck the man and he, well, turned to dust. Emma fell a decent ways down and collapsed to catch her breath. She was shaking uncontrollably. This was the first true fight between powerful people she had ever witnessed in person and she was _part_ of it. "I warned you," he grumbled darkly, sheathing his sword back. Shanks knelt beside of her. "I should've been more careful, you okay?" He asked worriedly, none of his previous anger present.

"Y-Yea, I'm great. Just kind of shocked, not hurt." He helped her up. They both looked at the many bystanders cautiously walking towards them. "Well this wasn't exactly the way I wanted it to go," Shanks swiped his hand through his hair. It fell into its natural place, exposing the scars. The townspeople didn't seem angry, and only slightly wary. A young girl had run up to them and tugged on Shanks' cloak. He bent down to be eye level. "Are the bad guys gone now?"

"Bad guys?" He questioned.

"They took my big brother! Mommy said they took daddy too!" The girl teared up. Shanks placed a hand on top of her head and wiped the hair from her face. "It's okay. They won't take anyone anymore."

"So-so they won't take Eric?" The girl asked happily.

"They won't take Eric," Shanks confirmed. A woman walked up and took a hold of the young girl's hand. "Sorry about Alexis. She's a very, um, outgoing child." The woman didn't even seem scared. Shanks stood. "What did she mean? They took people?" He asked.

"Those marines moved in to this island a couple months ago and took any men and children old enough to fight. They left the women here to take care of the children too young still. They tore families apart, but no one was able to fight them. Thank you," the woman smiled. "May I ask however, what is a pirate such as yourself doing on an island like this? We are near nothing exciting."

"We needed another safe island-"

"Captain!" Came a sudden voice as footsteps slowed to them. "I was on the other side of the island when I felt you use-" Yasopp stopped talking when he saw the sword wasn't hidden and his face was exposed. "What happened?"

"There were marine admirals here. They saw me and I had no choice but to fight. Seemed to have been the right choice though. They were recruiting this island."

"But that's only legal during times of war!"

"I know. It doesn't matter now though. They're dead."

Yasopp stared intently at the captain. "What's wrong with you?" Shanks' eye suddenly cleared. Emma hadn't even noticed that they were foggy until they weren't anymore.

"Woah! I was beginning to worry it wasn't going to wear off!" Shanks said suddenly more cheerful again.

"What?" Yasopp seemed to be less worried also.

"One of them had some type of fog devil fruit. I haven't been able to see for the past few minutes. Was kind of worried when it didn't instantly wear off after he died," explained Shanks.

"Oh! That's a relief," Yasopp breathed with a hand over his chest. "For a second I thought you were mad at me for something." Emma laughed.

"Is she okay? There's blood on her face," Yassop stated.

 _"What?!"_ Shanks spun around quickly to examine her face before realizing it wasn't her blood but that of the marine. Shanks then spun again to face Yasopp and whack him on the head. "Ow!"

"Don't say it like _that_ you idiot! I thought she was hurt!" Yasopp began to laugh. "Sor-ry," he gasped in between breaths. "But is this island good now? They saw us so do we-"

"You can use this island for anything you need and for as long as you need," the women stated. "I'm Mrs. Canessa, Mayor of the island." Shanks smiled kindly at her. "Thank you."

"But if I hear that you did _anything_ you better beware," she said and Emma wasn't sure if she was joking or not. Shanks raised his hand in innocence. "You have my word that nothing bad will come from me or my crew."

"Good," she walked off.

"Yasopp, you get a boat?"

"Yea, I left it at the shop when I ran here."

"Then let's go get it. Emma?" Shanks looked back to the woman, who was now clear of blood.

"Screw the boat! I still need to get the clothes!"

* * *

 **This didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it since I had it nearly finished when everything vanished and I had to rewrite it all. I had some really good lines in my first draft that I liked but can't remember :( Even though, I hope everyone liked it. The next chapter will probably take a little longer to come out but I'll try my best. Bye!**


End file.
